If Portis opts out of his player option, it might be a good idea to bring him back to compete against the 2020 No. 4 pick. 

After a statement win for the defending NBA champs in Game 3 on Friday, Portis was talking about his mindset in the laugher. 

He had 18 points and 16 rebounds in just 25 minutes as the replacement for Khris Middleton (knee) in the starting lineup. 

“Play with confidence,’’ Portis said. “That’s the biggest thing. Playing with confidence is a big thing out there on the basketball court, and you know who’s confident and you know who’s not.’’

The player Portis was assigned to guard at the start of the game and didn’t end up needing to guard — Patrick Williams.  

Instead, the Bucks used Portis to help double-team and push Bulls scorers DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to their left hands all night, making them relatively ineffective. 

It’s important to note that Williams finished the game with nine shots, which was the same amount in his solid performance in Game 2, when he had 10 points and nine rebounds in a Bulls win.

Williams took two more shots in the second quarter as the Bucks stretched the lead to 60-41 at halftime, all but ending any hopes the Bulls had of taking control of the series.